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Investigations

Central Florida Man Convicted for Illegally Transporting Airbags

On April 6, 2017, Andrius Kairaitis pleaded guilty to an information in U.S. District Court, Tampa, Florida, on charges related to the illegal transportation of motor vehicle airbags.

Kairaitis admitted that on or about April 20, 2015, he knowingly deposited a motor vehicle airbag for mail and delivery at a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) drop-off facility. When he purchased postage, Kairaitis was provided a warning stating that by purchasing postage from USPS, he was agreeing not to mail an item that was potentially hazardous. The airbag was intercepted by investigators.

A motor vehicle airbag system consists of multiple parts, including an engineered airbag inflator that, when triggered, causes an instantaneous chemical reaction that produces a sufficient amount of nitrogen gas to rapidly and fully inflate the airbag. Because of the airbag inflator, airbags are classified as a hazardous material by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and prohibited from being mailed through the USPS.

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.